New Delhi:
Nearly 200 people were caught violating the odd-even rule for cars on Saturday, the second day of the 15-day period when these restrictions are in force. These violators remained a minuscule minority on a day that largely saw compliance, with the government saying the scheme is "sucessful."
There were also those who did their bit despite not being required to by the law. Like Neha Gupta, who stays in Dwarka and travels to Gurgaon for work every day. She is exempt from the odd-even rule but has opted for carpooling. "I found my carpooling partners Rishabh and Sandhya through an app called ORahi. Even though I have both odd and even cars at home I prefer to carpool. I think we all need to do our bit to bring down pollution levels in the city," said Ms Gupta. Rishabh opted for flexi-hours at work, tweaking his work timings to match those of his car pooling partners. "I have a son who is three," says he said. "I want him to live in a cleaner city. So if it causes a little inconvenience, it's a price I'm willing to pay."
Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia left his odd-numbered car at home and cycled to office. Environment Minister Kapil Mishra opted for a two wheeler and Transport Minister Gopal Rai boarded a public bus. Calling the odd even numbered rule a success, Kapil Mishra said, "Delhi is changing and the city has proved it."
On the first two days, Delhi seemed to come out in support of the odd-even experiment. Monday will be a test. Most offices resume work and the pressure on public transport and the roads is expected to peak then.